Spandau Phoenix

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: Dick Hill

The Spandau Diary - what was in it? Why did the secret intelligence agencies of every major power want it? Why was a brave and beautiful woman kidnapped to get it? Why did a chain of deception and violent death lash out across the globe, from survivors of the Nazi past to warriors in this new conflict about to explode? Why did the world's entire history of World War II have to be rewritten as the future hung over a nightmare abyss?

©1994 Greg Iles (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Historical Fiction?

If you could sum up Spandau Phoenix in three words, what would they be?

Very Complex Tale

What was one of the most memorable moments of Spandau Phoenix?

The confluence of most of the characters, each with different goals, in or near Horn House

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

His ability to modulate his voice to suit different characters

Too Long

What did you like best about Spandau Phoenix? What did you like least?

This is a pretty good book but not up to Illes' standards. While some of his other works, e.g.the Penn Cage series, are comparably long, they are so well written that it's hard to put them down. Unfortunately Spandau Phoenix does not meet this standard.

What didn’t you like about Dick Hill’s performance?

Very little. I cannot understand why Dick Hill is so popular. When he is reading in a normal tone, he's OK, but his attempts at foreign (and female) accents are insufferable and annoying. Unlike John Lee (Century trilogy) whose accents and pronunciations are superb, Hill's are amateurish and exaggerated.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I wish Illes would either continue the Penn Cage series or begin another one.

A 10 on the intense scale

I loved this book. From the very beginning it was intense. I expected a let down as most books do, this book did not. This book was perfect for the performance of Dick Hill’s. Greg Iles is a fabulous writer.

Complex plot with plenty of action.

I loved Black Cross by Iles and this book also did not disappoint. Listen to Black Cross first if you plan to get both books. Great characters and more plot surprises than most books. I hope Greg Iles goes back to writing more military/espionage books, he clearly does a great job and researches his books well. Narration was also a big plus and made the book flow easily. Easily a five star book. Highly recommend.

Well Told Story of Intrigue and Suspense

Greg Iles is a wonderful story teller and this book is a thrilling tale of espionage, heart-stopping suspense and action. This well-told story spans more than 50 years. It centers on the real identity of Rudolf Hess and whether members of the Royal family plotted with Hitler to save England during WWII. It all begins with a policeman innocently finding notes left by a recently deceased elderly prisoner in Spandau prison.

I would have given it a full 5 stars but as has been pointed out by other reviewers, the story has a few too many plot lines and characters than it needs. There are Nazis, neo Nazis, KGB, all manner of spies, police and secret police (Russian, British, South African, Israeli and American), assassins, Arab terrorists, Cuban and Columbian mercenaries, nuclear weapons, arms dealers, drug dealers ???. This shouldn???t stop anyone from enjoying the ride; just know that it???s going to be a wild one.